Health Care Benefits for Children

According to The Common Wealth Fund, less than half of children under age 21 receive adequate health care. Additionally, the Children's Defense Fund cites that more than 8 million children are uninsured in the United States, a factor that could contribute to the lack of adequate care for children in the U.S. The Affordable Care Act, a health reform law passed in March 2010, attempts to improve these statistics by making health care benefits for children more affordable, beneficial and accessible.

Acceptance

• As of September 2010, health insurance companies may not deny a child health coverage due to a pre-existing condition. This rule, established under The Affordable Care Act, aims to end discriminatory insurance practices that prevent children with health conditions, such as asthma or autism, from receiving adequate and affordable care. Unfortunately, since this law became effective, many health insurance companies no longer offer child-only health insurance, requiring instead that children apply for health insurance as dependents on a parent or guardian's health insurance policy.

Recommendations

• Health insurance plans for children should provide comprehensive benefits for childhood preventive health care. The recommended preventive health care schedule for children is complex, as described by the American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP. According to the AAP, children from birth to age 21 should visit a doctor 31 times for health screenings that include measurements of height, weight, body mass index, head circumference and blood pressure, as well as administration of routine childhood immunizations and behavioral assessments.

Coverage Requirements

• The Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires health insurance companies to provide certain benefits to children at no out-of-pocket cost to the insurance policy-holder. For example, children enrolled in a health insurance plan can attend well-child visits until age 21 and receive all childhood vaccinations without paying an insurance deductible, copay or coinsurance payment. These coverage requirements are applicable to all health insurance policies established after March 23, 2010. Plans created before this date are "grandfathered" by the law, and do not have to comply to the coverage requirements until January 2014.

Affordability

• Parents who do not have health insurance coverage either privately or through an employer's group plan may qualify for low-cost or free children's health insurance through the federal Children's Health Insurance Plan program or Medicaid. Both CHIP and Medicaid eligibility guidelines vary by state, so contact your state's health and human services department for more information. Furthermore, any child without health insurance coverage qualifies for the Vaccines for Children program, which provides free childhood immunizations through participating providers, such as municipal health departments, school nurse offices, hospitals and pediatricians.